Turkey regards the US House of Representatives’ resolution condemning the May clash between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards and protesters in Washington as counterproductive and contrary to the spirit of the Turkey-US alliance, Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said in a statement Wednesday.

All 397 members of the House of Representatives voted on Tuesday in favor of House Resolution 354, which condemns the violence against the peaceful protesters gathered outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in mid-May and calls for the perpetrators of said violence to be brought to justice.

“The US House of Representatives last night (6 June) put on its agenda and passed an undue resolution that was previously voted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. … The steps taken by the US legislative branches to distort and politicize the matter are not constructive. This is also against the spirit of alliance and partnership between Turkey and the US,” the statement reads.

On 16 May, Erdogan’s security personnel clashed with protesters in the vicinity of the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC during the visit of the Turkish president to the United States. According to local police, at least nine people were injured and two people were arrested during the brawl.

Videos of the incident showed Erdogan’s bodyguards hitting and kicking protesters as the president looked on from his car.

On 24 May, US congressmen introduced a resolution condemning the attack. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry blamed the clashes on US authorities for not providing necessary security measures.